50.5 F
Spokane
Monday, March 3, 2025
spot_img
HomeNewsFar-right pastor files lawsuit against Spokane

Far-right pastor files lawsuit against Spokane

Date:

Related stories

FāVS News hosts ‘Uniting the Inland Northwest’ community event

FāVS News presents "Uniting the Inland Northwest" on April 27 in Spokane, featuring keynote speaker Itohan Idumwonyi and breakout sessions on regional issues to help bridge divides.

Perfectionist learns to embrace life’s messiness

A perfectionist father learns to embrace life's chaos, God's grace and his imperfection while balancing family life, kids and the pursuit of order.

American Atheists report asks ‘Is the PNW privileging religion?’ 

Washington seeks to reduce clergy-penitent privilege to fight abuse, but critics see it as freedom of religion. American Atheists push for more equal treatment.

A debrief: Why a protester was dragged out of Idaho GOP town hall

At a heated GOP town hall in Coeur d’Alene, protestor Teresa Borrenpohl was dragged out by security after opposing Republican policies, sparking outrage.

FāVS Religion News Roundup: Feb. 28

This week's FāVS Religion News Roundup heavily features several bills of interest that some say marginalize non-traditional marriages and communities, a brief about WA Ukrainian churches marking Ukrainian invasion by Russia's 3rd anniversary and FāVS News' upcoming 'Uniting the Inland Northwest' event.

Our Sponsors

spot_img

Far-right pastor files lawsuit against Spokane

News Brief by FāVS News

Following through on his recent threat to sue the City of Spokane, far-right pastor Sean Feucht filed a lawsuit against the city and several current and former administrators this week.

The traveling pastor alleges that the city council’s criticism of former Mayor Nadine Woodward for her presence at his Aug. 20 performance venue, the Podium, constituted an assault on the entire Christian community.

Lawsuit targets officials over mayor’s event appearance

His 30-page lawsuit, which was filed in Spokane County Superior Court on Wednesday, names the city, former Council President Lori Kinnear, former Council Member Karen Stratton, current Council President Betsy Wilkerson and current Council Member Zack Zappone as defendants.

The pastor’s appearance alongside the former mayor proved highly contentious due to his history of associations with domestic extremism and political violence, as well as both individuals’ publicly expressed anti-LGBTQ+ views. Consequently, a month after the August “Let Us Worship” event, the city council passed a formal resolution censuring the former mayor. The resolution, approved by council members Kinnear, Wilkerson, Zappone and Stratton, led Feucht to name them as defendants in his lawsuit.

In a May 31 appearance at On Fire Ministries, Feucht revealed he would file the suit, saying, “We are taking a stand against the bigotry and hatred of Christians in the city of Spokane, and we’re not backing down.”

Feucht seeks damages, injunction over religious criticism

While the pastor initially stated at the church that he would sue for $2 million, that specific dollar amount was not included in the actual lawsuit filed. Instead, the lawsuit alleges he is seeking compensation for “emotional distress and other non-economic damages,” without specifying the full amount being sought. In the legal filing, Feucht’s attorneys argue that the total damages “will be proved at trial.”

In addition to seeking damages, Feucht is requesting an injunction from the court that would prohibit government officials from condemning or criticizing any leader for interacting with him on the basis of his religious beliefs. He is also asking the judge to rule that the City Council lacked the authority to pass its September resolution denouncing the former mayor’s appearance at his event.

Proceedings are set to continue with a status conference scheduled in early September.

FāVS News
FāVS Newshttps://favs.news/
FāVS News informs and builds faith and non-faith community through digital journalism and online and offline engagement opportunities.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
spot_img
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x